Shinde govt to give 125 acres of Deonar land to Dharavi redevelopment project

MUMBAI: The state cabinet on Monday decided to give 125 acres of land from the Deonar dumping ground for rental housing for those declared ineligible for free housing in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP). So far, the government has granted 255 acres of salt pan lands at Kanjurmarg and Mulund, 140 acres of land at Madh island and 21.25 acres of Kurla Dairy land for the rental housing project. With the Deonar dumping ground plot, the amount of land given over to the Adani-led DRP amounts to 541.25 acres.
Revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil corroborated to HT that DRP Pvt Ltd had asked for the land, and it had been granted by the state. Hindustan Times had first reported on the state’s plan on September 14.
Dharavi residents who have ground-floor shanties and have constructed houses prior to January 1, 2000 will be considered eligible in the scheme inside Dharavi while those who are ineligible will be given houses in the rental housing schemes at a cost of ₹2.5 lakh per tenement.
After meeting with strong opposition from residents and BJP leaders in places like Mulund, Kurla, Dahisar and Bhakti Park, the state housing department turned to the Deonar dumping yard plot where the BMC has stopped dumping solid waste. The plot belongs to the suburban collectorate and is owned by the revenue department of the state government. It is in the BMC’s possession.
The state government has been corresponding with municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to hand over the 326-acre Deonar dumping plot for DRP rental housing. The BMC will retain 75 acres for various activities, including generation of electricity from waste.
Mumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad, who was an MLA from Dharavi, said on social media site X: ‘Our rights, our city, and our future are being sold off piece by piece to Adani. This Adani Sarkar has crossed all limits, turning every cabinet meeting these days into a land-gifting exercise to PM Modi’s best friend. The mega loot and betrayal of Mumbai has crossed all limits. Today’s cabinet meeting was another blow to public interest, with 125 acres of civic land in Deonar for Adani’s Dharavi ‘Vinash’ project. This land was previously a waste dumping ground and gaseous discharge continues here even today. Despite this, it is being repurposed so that Adani can build an empire for himself in Dharavi at the cost of rights of Dharavikars. Before this, salt pan lands were given, and even no-development zones in Madh and Aksa were parcelled out. And it’s not stopping there. The Adani Sarkar is pushing through the allotment of eco-sensitive land in Kurla’s Mother Dairy despite public protests!’